Little Flowers for a Big Lady
by TheCrowMaiden
Summary: Hauser deals with the struggles of size differences when it comes to giving flowers to a giant. A Hauser x Diane fanfic because I really rather like the ship and there's nothing written up for it that I've found. It's fluffy, has a couple tiny spoilers for the anime, but nothing really important. Anime based only


Flowers were blooming in the grasslands and fields surrounding the kingdom, covering every inch of bare earth with their bright colours and soft petals. Only the road was completely clear, with the edges closest to Liones a bit ragged from foot traffic. While the after-effects of the Princess Elizabeth's power didn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon, they at least weren't inconvenient.

And for Hauser, who had been out in the fields since before dawn, they were exactly what he wanted. The flowers that stretched as far as he could see were the farthest thing from being inconvenient.

Apart from their size, that is.

"How am I going to make this work?" He asked himself, holding a huge bundle of the wildflowers at arm's length. "This isn't even as big as her thumb!"

While the bouquet would have made an impressive armful for a human, it wouldn't be much to a giant; and a giant was exactly who Hauser planned to present the flowers to. He could still remember how small Guila's brother had looked in Diane's hand, and the flowers he had gathered didn't even equal to the size of the child. Hauser's hour of selecting the longest and largest blooms would probably be the equivalent of one flower to Diane.

"One measly flower." He said, trying to imagine her holding the bouquet. "I can't give Diane one _measly_ flower!"

He flopped down onto the grass, leaning against his lance that he had stuck in the earth. The skeins of twine he had brought to bind the flowers together were scattered over the ground, and he collected them into a pile as he tried to think. Diane and the rest of the Sins were going to leave any day now, according to Gilthunder and the gossip amongst the other Holy Knights. He didn't have time to change his plans now.

With a groan, Hauser got up and surveyed the field. He'd just have to make a cartload of bouquets, that's all. It might not have the same impact, but it would have to do. Resolutely, he stuck the bouquet he had already made onto the handle of his lance so it wouldn't get stepped on, and unwound a length of twine.

"Purple, this time." He said cheerfully. "I'll make an all purple one this time!"

There were less purple flowers with long stems than Hauser had hoped, and the sun was well up in the sky by the time he finished his second bouquet. His optimism was waning as he jogged back to his lance, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of Diane.

But it was his lance, rather than catching sight of Diane, that made him stop short. The bouquet he had placed on the handle to keep them out of the way looked like a flower head perched on a stem, and they seemed just the slightest bit less measly. In fact, it looked a bit like the start of a nice, big, giant-sized bouquet.

"That's it!" Hauser said, pumping his fist in the air with a whoop. "I'll just tie them all to the lance!"

With another length of twine he arranged and tied the two bouquets securely to the handle, glancing at the position of the sun. It was past noon, he had to be fast if he wanted this to work.

Dropping to his knees, he summoned the smallest and flattest tornado he could manage and sent it skimming across the fields. Flowers exploded into the air in its wake, and Hauser winced even as he sent more winds after the first. He ran after them, gathering fistfuls of the hacked off flowers and tying them into rough bundles as he went. As soon as they were big enough he ran them back to his lance, and went right back out for more.

It was late afternoon by the time he finished, hefting the wobbly mass of flowers lashed precariously to his weapon. Both he and the lance were covered in dirt and bits of wildflower debris, and streaks of green were smeared over most of Hauser's civilian clothing. But the bouquet was finally something he could see himself presenting as a proper token of affection, and he grinned as he rested the lance on his shoulder and turned toward Liones—

Only to come face to face with Diane.

"Aaauugh!" Hauser scrambled backwards and fell onto his rear, holding the lance upright for dear life as flowers slipped free and rained down on him. "D-Diane!"

"Hey, that's mean, Hauser." She said, pouting as she pulled at her cute pink dress. "Screaming like that when you see a girl."

"Sorry." He replied automatically. He blinked at her, taking in the outfit that was very different than her usual orange gear. "You're small."

"But this is the size I was when I first met you." Diane said. "And you didn't scream back then when it turned out I was big."

"Sorry, sorry. You just surprised me."

"Hmph! What's that you're carrying, anyway?" Diane tilted her head to take in the wildflowers spilling out of their bindings and she lost her scowl, giggling. "Wait, Hauser, you have a daisy in your hair."

Smiling, she bent over and pulled it from somewhere behind his ear before offering it to him. Hauser took it, blushing, and stood up. The movement shook free another shower of flowers, and Diane covered her mouth with one of her pigtails to hide another burst of giggling. Some of the flowers landed in her hair as well, and she caught a couple in her hand as they floated through the air.

"It looks so pretty." She sighed, letting the petals fall through her fingers.

Hauser, who had been watching the flowers fall with regret mixed with annoyance, glanced at Diane. She looked wonderfully pleased with the stray petals, and he began to grin as an idea struck him.

"In that case," Hauser said, "watch this!"

And he hit the bundle with a tornado, cutting through the twine and scattering it high into the air with a single hit. The broad, barely compressed winds tore the bindings to pieces, and released the flowers loose into the air. Once he judged them shredded just enough, he threw the wind out weak and wide so that he and Diane were in the centre of no more than a gentle swirling breeze.

The flowers he had spent hours gathering drifted down in pieces, petals swirling in the edges of the wind and covering the two of them. Diane's eyes sparkled as she took in all the falling colours, reaching out her hands. Hauser blushed as Diane laughed and tried to catch more of the flowers, slowly letting the winds die until there was nothing left.

"Hauser!" Diane had an armful of blossoms she had gathered, and she turned to him with a beaming smile. "That was so much fun! Why did you have all those?"

"Ah, well, I was going to…" Hauser rubbed the back of his neck, his ears getting hot as he blushed even more. Whatever he had planned to say to her when he presented the bouquet had slipped his mind and he shrugged helplessly, dislodging some of the petals on his shoulder.

"…Were they for a girl?" Diane asked, a note of suspicion in her voice, and she leaned forward to get a good look at his face.

"Well yeah." He replied, and even though he was still blushing like a fool, he held out the daisy she had taken from his hair with a smile. "A really, really, big girl."

And this time, it was Diane who blushed.


End file.
